Photograph-printing machine.



J. W. BERWIOK.

PHOTOGRAPH PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.10, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

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J. W. BERWIGK.

PHOTOGRAPH PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.10, 1913.

1,101,514. Patented June 23, 1914.

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JOHN W. BERWICK, OF BROGKLYN, NEW YORK.

PHOTGGRAPH-PRINTING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. BERWICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photograph-Printing Machines, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to photographic printing devices, and is especially useful where the printing is accomplished by means of an artificial light. It is a common practice to employ a horizontal shelf with a translucent or transparent plate set therein, the light being arranged in a box beneath the shelf and the exposure made by turning the light on, or else by means of a shutter.

One of the objects of the present invention is to produce a printing device having improved means for insuring that the pr nt paper is held pressed against the negative by a uniform pressure exerted throughout the entire area of the print paper, the purpose being in this connection to prevent variations in the printing eflect which sometimes occur where springs are employed which concentrate the pressure on the back at certain points. By causing the pressure to be evenly distributed I produce an improved and uniform printing effect.

A further object of the invention is to accomplish the above suggested object without necessitating the employment of springs, and further to construct the device in such a manner as to greatly facilitate the rapidity with which the print paper may be applied and removed.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for adjusting the margins of the print and also to provide simple and improved means for holding the negative and print paper in position.

A further object of the invention is to make provision for easily removing the transparent or translucent plate if the same should become broken or defective.

The invention consists in the general combination of parts and simplicity of details hereinafter described, all of which contribute to produce an eflicient photographic printing device.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 10, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914..

Serial No. 741,201.

A preferred embodiment of my invention will be particularly described in the following specification, while the broad scope of my invention will be pointed out in the ap pended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my photographic printing device; Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing also a portion of the box in which the light is placed; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the printing device with the back thereof represented as raised as it is in placing a print paper in position for printing; this section is taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. at is a cross section through the device taken on the line P-f of Fig. 1, the back being removed; Fig. 5 is a section through the device taken longitudinally of one of the guide slots for the screens which control the position of the margin of the print; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the back in an intermediate position to indicate the manner in which the back controls the holding device for the print paper.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents a frame plate which may be of substantially rectangular form, having the printing opening 2 in which a transparent or translucent plate 3 is held, preferably by means of a rabbet groove 4 extending along three sides of the plate 3. The plate 3 is preferably of glass and is preferably held in position by means of a removable cleat 5 extending along one edge thereof, said cleat being applied over a fixed margin screen 6 which may be a thin metal plate. The cleat 5 is preferably held in place by bolts and removable nuts 7, said nuts being arranged so that when loosened the cleat may be raised slightly to facilitate the withdrawal of the plate. The edge of the opening 4 opposite to the cleat 5 is cut away and formed with a recess 8, which is practically an enlarged rabbet groove, and in this recess I prefer to provide a removable screw 9, the side of which engages the adjacent edge of the transparent plate 3 so as to hold the same in position. By loosening this screw slightly, the head of the screw rises out of the plane of the plate 3 and the plate may then be removed if the nut 7 has first been loosened.

In order to hold the negative in position on the plate 3 I prefer to provide a clamp ing device which is preferably in the form of a bar 10, which extends along one edge of the opening, saidbar being provided on its underside with a thin plate forming a nonadjustahle screen 11. This bar is normally pressed resiliently toward the plate 3 so as to grip the negative resting upon the plate, and for this purpose the bar is preferably supported on two resilient arms 12 secured to the frame plate 1 at 13 and lying over a rotatable cam bar 1 1. This cam bar 1 1 has recesses or notches formed, as indicated at 15, and when the cam bar is rotated by means of its handle 16, it will raise the arms 12 and the bar so as to release the negative and permit it to be removed.

A back 17 which holds the print paper down upon the negative is preferably made of a one-piece rigid member. I prefer to form this back of a thick plate of metal or some other material having high specific gravity. \Vhen the back is down it is not supported except by the print-paper and it therefore exerts a uniform pressure on the print paper which it is holding in place. This result is substantially attained because the back is rigid and its weight is substantially uniformly distributed over the area of the print paper. For this purpose I attach the back 17 in such a manner that its connection with the plate 1 does not interfere with its exerting all its weight on the print paper. In other words, the connection 18 by means of which the back is attached, is loose connection and does not support the back in any way but simply guides it to facilitate its being swung up in the manner indicated in Fig. 3, so as to expose the plate 3. This connection 18 is preferably a pin and slot connection comprising pins 19 projecting from the side edges of the back 17 near one end and received in slots 20 formed in brackets 21. which form arms on the plate 22 secured to the frame plate 1.

Pi hen the back 17 is raised as indicated in l ig. 3 it rests upon a fixed standard or rest 23 which may project 'up from the plate 1 and preferably comprises a resilient tip or spring 2 1 which is sprung hackwardly by the weight of the hack. lVhen the back is thrown up in this manner, it operates auto matically to release the print paper. In order to accomplish this I prefer to provide a holding device for the print paper, which is in the form of a clamp bar25 made of light sheet metal mounted on pivot connections 26 in a bracket 27 WlllQA may be secured on the foresaid bar 10, and this clamp bar 25 may be provided with an upwardly extending arm 28 which is normally pressed forwardly by a leaf spring 29 which may be attached to the rest 23. hen the back 17 is down,

the spring 29 holds the clamp bar 25 down so to clamp the print paper against the screen 11, but when the back is raised as indicated in Fig. 3, it strikes the arm 28 and rotates the clamp bar 25 back so as to release the print paper.

In order to regulate or adjust the margins of the print at points opposite the fixed or non-adjustable margins (3 and 11, I provide two movable screens 30 and 31. These screens are preferably formed of very thin sheet metal and extend across the printing opening 2 at right angles to each other. The screen 31 is attached to a sliding block 32 which slides along and is guided by means of a slot 33. This slot 33 is preferably formed with a longitudinal rabbet 34 in which runs a spring 35, and this spring 35 may he clamped or tightened by means of a screw 36 and a knurled nut 37. I prefer to attach the screen 31 to the block 32 by means of two screws 38, which prevents the screen from having any play or a lost motion which would make its adjustment inaccurate. In this way the edge of the screen 31 maintains perfect parallelism at all times with the edge of the opposite stationary screen 11. The screen 30 is similarly attached to the block 39 which is similar to the block 32 and similarly held in position. Although I have illustrated the screen 30 as being attached to the block 39 by a single screw 40 I may provide two screws similar to screws 38 for preventing any lateral play in the screen 30. The screen 30 therefore maintains perfect parallelism at all times with the fixed or non-adjustable screen 6. In order to facilitate the raising of the back 17, the free edge thereof is provided with a handle or fingerpiece 11. The frame plate 1 is most conveniently attached in a substantially horizontal position on the upper side of a box 42 which may contain a light.

Attention is called to the fact that the transparent plate 3 is held positively by frame-plate 1 against shifting in a direction at right angles to the line joining the cleat 5 and the keeper 9, that is, it is held against shifting longitudinally by the rabhet.

It is understood that the construction described above is only one embodiment of the many forms my invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of my invention or in my claims to the particular construction described above.

hat I claim is:

1. A photographic printing device comprising a transparent plate, means for supporting the same, a back adapted to hold the print-paper against a negative lying on said plate, said back having a connection with said supporting means operating to guide said back in being raised but permitting said back to exert all its weight upon the printpaper, said back being of substantial weight and rigid whereby said back holds said print-paper firmly against the negative and presses equal areas of the print-paper at every point with the same force.

2. A photographic printing device comprising a transparent plate, means for supporting the same, a back adapted to hold the print paper against a negative lying on said plate, said plate being disposed in a substantially horizontal position, the weight of said back being the sole means for applying the pressure thereof to the print paper, and means for attaching said back in position to enable the same to be withdrawn from said plate to apply the print paper to the negative.

3. A photographic printing device comprising a transparent plate, means for supporting the same, a back adapted to hold the print paper against a negative lying on said plate, said plate being disposed in a substantially horizontal position, the weight of said back being the sole means for applying the pressure thereof to the print paper, and a loose connection for holding said back in position but leaving the same unsupported when said back is holding the print paper upon the negative.

1. A photographic printing device com prising a transparent plate, means for supporting the same, a back adapted to hold the print paper against a negative lying on said plate, said plate being disposed in a substantially horizontal position, the weight of said back being the sole means for applying the pressure thereof to the print paper, and a fixed member having a pin and slot connection with said back leaving the back unsupported except by the print paper when resting upon the print paper.

5. In a photographic printing device in combination, a transparent plate adapted to support the negative, means supporting the same, a one-piece rigid back having a connection with said last named means permitting said back to swing toward and away from said printing plate, and means for holding the negative fixed against said trans parent plate.

6. In a photographic printing device in combination, a transparent plate adapted to support the negative, means supporting the same, a one-piece rigid back having a connection with said last named means permitting said back to swing toward and away from said printing plate, and means for holding the negative fixed against said transparent plate, said means tending to move resiliently toward its holding position, and a manually-operated member for moving the same to release the negative.

7. In a photographic printing device in combination, a transparent plate adapted to support the negative, means supporting the same, a back having a connection with said last named means permitting said back to swing toward and away from said printing plate, means for holding the negative fixed against said transparent plate, and automatic means controlled by said back for holding the print paper in a fixed position.

8. In a photographic printing device in combination, a transparent plate adapted to support the negative, means supporting the same, a back having a connection with said last named means permitting said back to swing toward and away from said printing plate, means for holding the negative fixed against said transparent plate, and auto matic means controlled by said back for holding the print paper in a fixed position, the said holding means for the print paper tending to move resiliently toward its holding position and arranged to be released by the movement of said back.

9. A photographic printing device comprising a frame plate having a printing opening, a transparent plate disposed at said opening, means fixed with respect to said frame plate to prevent a longitudinal shifting of said transparent plate, a removable cleat attached to said frame plate and securing one of the side edges of said transparent plate, and a removable screw having an enlarged head opposite said cleat for securing the opposite edge of said transparent plate.

10. A photographic printing device comprising in combination, a frame plate, a transparent plate, means for holding said transparent plate on said frame plate, a back adapted to exert pressure by gravity on the print paper, means including a pin and slot connection for holding said back to said frame plate and permitting said back to be swung away from said frame plate, clamping means for holding the print paper, and automatic means for releasing the same by the outward swinging movement of said back.

11. A photographic printing device com prising in combination, a frame plate, a transparent plate, means for holding said transparent plate on said frame plate, a back adapted to exert pressure by gravity on the print paper, means including a pin and slot connection for holding said back to said frame plate and permitting said back to be swung away from said frame plate, clamping means for holding the print paper, automatic means for releasing the same by the outward swinging movement of said back, clamping means for normally holding the negative on said transparent plate, and means for releasing said last named clamping means.

12. A photographic printing device, comon two sides of said frame plate, and trans prising in combination, a frame plate, a able screens to slide in a substantially transparent plate held therein, a back adaptstraight line along said frame plate. ed to hold a print paper and negative over Signed at New York city, N. Y. this 9th said transparent plate, fixed margin screens day of January 1913.

JOHN V. BERWICK.

lVitnesses:

BEATRICE MIRVIS,

F. D. AMMEN.

versely disposed screens cooperating respectively With said fixed margin screens and means for guidlng each of the said mov- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

